Applicator apparatus for refrigeration anaesthesia



Feb. 11, 1947.

E. L. BARNES ET AL APPLICATOR APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATION ANAESTHESIA Filed June 21, 1944 ATTDRNEYS Feb. 11, 1947. BARNES ET AL 2,415,455

APPLICATOR APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERATION ANAESTHESIA Filed June 21, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTDRS ELBARNEE l-IAESRENNER A'r'ru RNEYS Patented Feb. 11, 1947 APPLIOATOR APPARATUS FOR REFRIGERA- TION ANAESTHESIAY Eugene L. Barnes and Herman A. Brenner, Buffalo, N. Y.

ApplicationJune 21, 1944; Seria-I No'. 541,433 InCanada May- 6; 1944 Claims. 1'

This invention relates to refrigerating appara tus for medical or hospital use and particularly toapparatus for carrying, out refrigerating anaesthesia in amputation cases.

It. is an object of. the invention to provide refrigerating. apparatus which may be readily applied to the human limbs and which may be With these. and other objects: in view the invention particularly resides lira-refrigerant applicator designed to be brought into intimate contact with the limb or a portion of the limb of a.

patient together with means for applying the ap- A pl icator to the limb in a practical and efficient manner, and. means for subjecting all areas of the applicator to the effect of the refrigerant-to produce efficient refrigerating conditions and thus chill the limb or a portion thereof in a uniform manner to a. suitable low degree in the neighbourhood of 40 F.

The invention. will be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a frontal. perspective View of the unit showing two types of applicators connected thereto. and illustrating the manner in which such applicators may be employed at adistance from. the power refrigerating unit.

Figure 2 is a plan view of one of the applicators illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view on theline 3-3. in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a plan view taken. on the line 4-4 in Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the type of applicator illustrated in the lower portion of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, thenumeral ID indicates any suitable movable cabinet or the like carrying power-operated refrigerating apparatus and having the refrigerant circuit controls indicated by the numerals ll, I2, l3 and I4.

Flexibly. connected to the controls are the pipe circuits l5 and. IB having the return leads l'l and. [8, respectively,-, the pipe circuit l5- being,

adapted tofeed refrigerant tothe applicator I19. The applicator l9 comprises the lower framework. 28 and upper framework 28 connected thereto. The framework-may be made-of metal tubingbent as shown and connected together to provide a central longitudinal channel 2| which is adaptedto carry lower limb plates 22,23 and 24 whichare. suspended by suitable flexible means, such as. the straps 25 from the lateral members 26 and 2'|-.

Suspended from. the upper framework 28 by the removabl-y securable. brackets 29 are. corresponding upper limb. plates 30,. 3| and 32, whileintegrally projecting from the brackets 2'9larethe. bars 33 having. adjusting members 3t,v securable t0 the limb plates,. threaded through. their. extremities.

In order to enable intimate contact to be effected with all parts of a limb inserted between the limb plates, or those parts of a limb which. it may be necessary to encircle, each limb plate. comprises. a curved portion, and it will be. seen that the upper limb plates may be. adjusted. longitudinally by means of the. brackets 29 and diametrically by means of the members 34, the lower limb plates being longitudinally adjustable by the members 25.

The refrigerant limb plates have mounted thereon tubing 35 for conveying. the. refrigerant. to the plates, the tubing 35 being disposedon the plates so as to provide for chilling of the wholev area of the plates. The terminal parts of the tubing indicated by the numeral3li. are arranged. to. connect. with suitable sections of. flexible hose or tubing 31 which may be connected tosuitable fittings or headers38' whichare in turn fed with. refrigerant by the long flexible members 39,. the return conduits being indicated by the numeral 40,. the. feed members 39 being connected with suitable members on the cabinet or refrigerant power supply so that the refrigerant. may be fed to the applicator under suitable control.

As distinct from the applicator l9 havingv the frame. work 20 supporting an upper. member 28, the type of applicator represented by the numeral 41 may be employed havin no rigid framework and this. type may be wrapped around a portion of the limb and fastened round the limb by suitable straps 42.

The limb plates of this type, as in the other applicator structure described, include the tubing. integrally connected therewith in the same man-- nor as is clearlyindicated in Figure l, and by means of suitable flexible conduits 43 and; such applicator is: operably connect'ablewith the power refrigerating unit.-

The latter type of applicator is particularly useful where a smaller area of the limb is to be chilled, but it is of course equally apparent that the applicator [9, having a rigid framework, may also be used to chill parts of the limb, if desired, by reason of the readily adjustable framework, and the manner in which the plates are supported on the framework.

It will be evident that the main difference in structure between the two types of applicators I9 and 4| is that, in the former, the applicator comprises two main cooperating parts swingably hinged together, the lower part of the framework thus forming a bed to receive the limb and the upper part of the framework being swingably mounted by the arm 45 enabling the upper part of the framework to be applied as a cover to the Y.

limb. In the case 'of the applicator M the limb is effectively encircled, more or less completely, and this structure may take the form of a relatively flexible member or of flexible sections which can be strapped on the limb.

- Figure 5 illustrates a modification of the type of applicator indicated by the numeral 4! and comprises the upper limb plates 46 and the lower limb plates 47 suitably connected to one or more strap members 48, each limb plate having the tubing externally disposed thereon so as to provide for the chilling of each of the plates and connectable by the members 49 and 50 to the power refrigerating unit. In addition, since two series of limb plates are employed, lateral strengthening members 5| and 52 are provided suitably connected to certain of the upper and lower plates so that when the limb plates are placed so as to encircle the limb, they are maintained in longitudinal alignment and may be adjusted longitudinally by means of the members 5i and 52.

In ,order to provide for small amounts of longitudinal displacements of the plates, the members 5| and 52 are resiliently mounted to the res mt S pporting members 53 mounted in the supporting bracket 54 (visible in Fig. 5) secured to certain of the plates 46 and 47.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the applicators may be used very conveniently, are adapted to contact with a limb or part thereof in a practical and efiicient manner so as to provide for an efficient chilling operation, while it is clear that they may .be used at a distance from the refrigerating unit without any dilflculty. Moreover, the manner .of chilling the plates will provide for a uniform chilling of the limb or a part thereof and thus there is made available an apparatus for efiiciently carrying out refrigeration anaesthesia. As previously stated any ing in combination a refrigerant supply means,

control means therefor, and refrigerant conduit means connectable with a refrigerant applicator, said applicator comprising a plurality of shaped substantially rigid plates flexibly connected to form a yieldable channel-like element for engaging and partially encircling portions of the human body, one face of said plates being adapted to contact said body portions and conduit means carried by the other face of said plates in intimate contact therewith over selected areas thereof for the passage of a refrigerant, in intimate contact with said plates minutely to cool them, said plate conduit means being flexibly connected from plate to plate to establish a circuit designed to connect with said refrigerant supply means, and means for securing said applicator in contact with selected portions of the body to cool the latter to a predetermined degree.

2. Anaesthesia refrigerating apparatus, including in combination a refrigerant supply means, control means therefor and refrigerant conduit means connectable with a refrigerant applicator, said applicator comprising a framework having spaced apart side members, a plurality of shaped substantially rigid plates disposed between said side members, means for flexibly suspending said plates from said side members to form a channel-like element for supporting a portion of the body in contact with the exposed faces of said plates and conduit means carried by the other faces of said plates in intimate contact therewith over selected areas thereof for the passage of a refrigerant, minutely to cool said plates, said plate conduit means being connected from plate to plate to establish a circuit designed to connect with said refrigerant supply means, whereby to cool said portions of the body to a predetermined degree.

3. Anaesthesia refrigerating apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which said framework includes a movable section carrying a plurality of shaped substantially rigid plates disposed in opposed relation to said first mentioned plates, said second mentioned plates being supported to form a channel-like element having one face of the plate disposed to contact a portion of the body, the other face carrying conduit means in intimate contact therewith over selected areas thereof for the passage of a refrigerant, said second plate conduit means being connected with the refrigerant supply means to establish a closed circuit, said second group of plates being movable towards the first group to engage and substantially surround together with said first mentioned plates a portion of the body supported by the latter.

4. Anaesthesia refrigerating apparatus, including in combination a refrigerant supply means, control means therefor and refrigerant conduit means connectable with a refrigerant applicator, said applicator comprising a framework having spaced apart side members and a superstructure at one end, a, plurality of shaped substantially rigid plates disposed between said side members, means for flexibly suspending said plates from said side members to form a channel-like element for supporting a portion of the body in contact with the exposed faces of said plates, a swingable support mounted on said superstructure, a plurality of shaped substantially rigid plates carried by said support and disposed in spaced apart relation to form a channel-like element for engaging one face of said plates with a portion of said body, conduit means carried by the opposite faces of each of said groups of plates in intimate contact therewith over selected areas thereof for the passage of a refrigerant, minutely to cool said plates, said plate conduit means of each group of plates being connected from plate to plate to establish a circuit for each group designed to connect with said refrigerant supply means whereby to cool said portion of the body to a predetermined degree, said support being swingable towards said framework to engage its plates with and substantially encircle a portion of the body supported by the plates of said framework, whereby to cool said portions of the body to a predetermined degree.

5. Anaesthesia refrigerating apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in Which the swingable support comprises a bar swingably connected to said superstructure and having a plurality of supporting arms for adjustably carrying a plate.

6. Anaesthesia refrigerating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the applicator comprises two series of said shaped substantially rigid plates connected to form a channel-like element, the plates of each series being in substantially longitudinal alignment and each series being flexibly connected in spaced apart relation and adjustable means connecting the two series of plates whereby the two series may be longitudinally adjusted relatively to one another.

7. In anaesthesia refrigerating apparatus, a refrigerant applicator comprising a plurality of shaped substantially rigid, thin metal plates flexibly connected together and designed to be disposed in engagement with a predetermined portion of the body for cooling the latter, one face of said plates being designed to contact said body portion, the opposite face having tubular conduit means, for receiving a refrigerant, integrally secured thereto and extending over selected substantial areas thereof, to cool them, and flexible tubular means connecting said tubular means between said plates, whereby said plates may be caused to move relatively to one another and to engage varied contours of the body in intimate contact.

8. An anaesthesia refrigerating apparatus as claimed in claim '7' in which two series of plates are included, the plates of each series being flexibly connected with one another, both series being connected together in spaced and yieldable relation.

9. An anaesthesia refrigerating apparatus as claimed in claim 7 in which two series of p t are included, the plates of each series being flexibly connected with one another, both serie being connected together in spaced and yieldable relation, said yieldable connection between each series including rod members extending between each series and a flexible joint formin a connection between the rod members and certain plates of each series.

10. An anaesthesia refrigerating apparatus as claimed in claim 7 in which two series of plates are included, the plates of each series being flexibly connected with one another, both series being connected together in adjustable relation to one another.

EUGENE L. BARNES. HERMAN A. BRENNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,319,542 Hall May 18, 1943 1,991,784 Bohemier et al Feb. 19, 1935 1,896,953 Hassell Feb. 7, 1933 OTHER REFERENCES B. M. Newman, Shockless Surgery, Scientific American, Apr. 1942, pp. 182 to 184. A copy is in the Scientific Library of the Patent Office. 

